Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) President Ekrem İmamoğlu; Tea after iftar with 28 young people from different segments of society, from imam hatip high school graduates to university students, from unemployed youth to shopkeepers' peers. sohbeti did. It took place last night at the Golden Horn Social Facilities in Balat. sohbetIt took about 2 hours. Saying, “We need to produce benefits for this city and this country from the production, energy, skills, intelligence, youth and everything of the youth,” İmamoğlu underlined that he is trying to implement dialogue with children and youth in every aspect of his life.
“YOUNG CARE ABOUT THE CONCEPTIONS OF HONESTY AND JUSTICE”
Emphasizing that this dialogue made a great contribution to him in his political life, İmamoğlu pointed out that they are trying to shape their actions in İBB with these feedbacks. Expressing that he observed that the young people attach great importance to the concepts of honesty and justice, İmamoğlu said, “The prejudices of the elders are too much and these prejudices sometimes divide the society. It can even separate within the family. But especially the new generation has largely erased these prejudices in their minds," he said. While talking about “social prejudice”, İmamoğlu said, “We categorize and classify people. Or we separate them. Sometimes it happens over faith, sometimes it happens over clothes, sometimes it happens because of lifestyle, sometimes it happens because of ethnicity… But I see that young people destroy such concerns and prejudices to a large extent, and I listen to this in many environments from young people,” he clarified.
“OUR YOUTH HAVE PROBLEMS”
Saying "Our youth have problems", İmamoğlu said:
“We have especially young people who complain seriously about this sense of equality. We have young people who have serious complaints about unfair practices. There are young people who say, 'No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, I can't get what I want'. We have young people who do not trust the exam system. Unfortunately, we have a significant number of young people who have completed school, graduated from high school, and sometimes even went to university, but who do not have a job yet, unfortunately, do not have a job. In this city, we come across a number of young people between the ages of 15-25, between 400 and 500 thousand, who can say, 'They have neither a job, nor a school, nor a job'. Therefore, if we have such a busy page, we are obliged to work specifically for it. In this work, we have areas where we have vocational training courses such as İSMEK or we have newly established regional employment offices in addition to İSMEK. Here, we have established a system that both helps our young people, especially our youth, to find a job, and also guides and guides them. A significant number of our offices serve hundreds of thousands of Istanbulites, especially young people there.”
RAIN OF QUESTIONS FROM YOUTH TO IMAMOĞLU
After the evaluation speech, İmamoğlu listened to the questions, suggestions and contributions from the participating youth. Young people, to Imamoglu; from bicycle lanes to street animals, from libraries to festivals, from increasing bus services to presidential candidacy. The answers of Imamoglu to the questions and demands of the youth were as follows:
BICYCLE ROUTES
The bicycle has become one of the main means of transport in some countries. We, too, are working hard to increase the habit of cycling in Istanbul. For example; Our intentions are to make green lines over some of the creeks that we define as big parks and valleys of life in Istanbul, to enable people to go down to that valley by bicycle from the street of their home and reach a metro stop by doing sports, to get on the metro from there and continue their transportation, and to ensure that they do not prefer rubber-tyred vehicles. there is. In 3 years, we are about to double our existing bicycle mileage.
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF ROUTES OF BUS
Bus and public transport, journey, number of trips, not ending at 00.00 at night, even continuing until the morning… This demand is a very correct one. It is a demand that Istanbul also wants. On weekends, we started running some of our subway lines 24 hours a day. At some points such as Metrobus, we are trying to intensify 24-hour-based operation. Istanbul is a city that lives 7/24. And we will take care to increase this service as much as possible. We hit the handbrake a bit. Why? Because the pandemic has devastated us all. Especially public transport. Public transport has caused huge losses in all cities, all over the world. And we did not receive any support in this regard.
UNEMPLOYMENT SUBJECT IN UNIVERSITY
The fact that university graduates are unemployed makes you hopeless. You are worried about the future. Currently, unfortunately, 85 percent of the youth in our country experience this feeling. It's very painful. We can get over this quickly. This country has resources. When we examine the developed countries of the world, because they invest in production-based sectors, they can overcome crises and periods of economic trouble more practically. We are instantly buried. Why? Unfortunately, we have moved away from being a producing society in industry, agriculture and many other subjects. We have serious problems in the quality of education and the educational processes of our youth. And that, of course, comes down to unemployment in the end. Today, one in three young people is unemployed in our country. It's very painful. But this is not a situation our country and our city deserve. The main reason why we experience this situation is a matter of management problem. Can we overcome the management problem? It can pass very easily. How can we overcome? This country's human resources and capabilities are at a level to solve this problem, if we give the duty to those who deserve it, not supporters or friends. This country needs serious change.
TRANSPORTATION HIRE
As soon as I took office, we reduced your subscription from 80 lira to 40 lira. Nobody had this in mind. 109 lira today. But between the day we took office and today, the amount of fuel is actually three times higher. If we hadn't made that discount, if it was 80 liras, transportation, today the transportation subscription would be 250 liras. Therefore, believe me, the cheapest subscription card in Turkey is in Istanbul. So why did we raise? It's not in our hands. Municipalities cannot be the reason for a raise. We are the result. So in this country, the reason for the increase in inflation is not the municipality. In this country, the reason for the increase in fuel is not the municipality. In this country, the reason for the electricity hike is not the municipality. All of these are the result of economic management. Who runs the economy? The government of this country runs it. We are compelled. It is the government itself that puts the country in trouble. Now, there are those who make a statement that we will make a proposal to the IMM Assembly so that IMM will meet this raise made for young people. Instead of doing that, go bro, lower the diesel price. Or taking SCT on diesel, public transport, or SCT on gasoline. Let me reflect this not only to young people, but to every person of this country. There is no reason to make fun of people over such deceitful minds. Our country is in a difficult situation economically. Unfortunately, the reason for this is the mind of the government that runs the country.
CULTURAL SERVICES AND FESTIVALS FOR YOUTH
We have increased our cultural services to our youth. I hope it will increase 3-4 times after the pandemic this year. Why? Our people also really need to relax, rest, change their mood, and hope. Culture and art also work that way. We gave university scholarships to young people for the first time. For the first time in its history, IMM opened student dormitories. We have nearly 1000 beds. We will increase it even more.
STREET ANIMALS PROBLEM
The issue of stray animals, unfortunately, could not be placed on a healthy ground and a healthy legal system in our country. Of course, a brutal urbanization exacerbated this issue and this problem. After this wild urbanization, it became an unbelievably stray animal. Especially on the issue of sterilization, there was a slow movement. It is not possible to solve this issue with sterilization alone. Some say, collect all the street animals and throw them in the shelter. Such a thing is not possible. Some say that all animals should roam the streets. This is not possible either. It is not an issue to be solved by IMM alone, it is not an issue to be resolved by district municipalities alone. We brought this issue to the agenda of the Governor's Office. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is in this business. In fact, it has many agendas and stakeholders. Let me underline that we need a serious decision collectively and a solution to this issue on the basis of law. We are working.
SOFTWARE EMPLOYMENT
If you are narrowing the living space of people in your country, if you do not prioritize law and merit, but deal with people with their jobs, hair, heads, ideas, parties, representatives of the creative sectors do not prefer such countries. He goes works in Latvia. He goes, works in Estonia. He goes and works in Belarus, which we would never have guessed. I am giving an example. And those sectors create great added value there. For this reason, the order of life in the country must first allow this. Then we already know that this country will produce great jobs in these sectors. Because we have that creative mind and intelligence in our youth. As the Metropolitan Municipality, we have created centers that currently serve software at 4 points, contribute to it with education, and enable it to establish relations with the private sector. At the same time, we opened a Game Development Center on the shore of this Golden Horn. We still provide opportunities there. We will increase this number. The municipality cannot solve this alone. An industry partnership is required. Those sectors should prefer these. And we really shouldn't miss this sector, this technology. It is a very active period. This field will be the most influential field in the world for at least 25 more years.
INTERNSHIP SUBJECT
Internship is very important. Please contact via our regional employment offices. We provide internship opportunities at IMM. We did the Young Talent program last year. We will do it this year too. We did it both internally and externally. We are putting forward initiatives to make these internships not only within our own institution, but also in other institutions and that this is paid. Of course, we don't have the authority to decide that. However, we take and implement some supportive decisions in our own institution.
LACK OF LIBRARY
We opened 12 new libraries in this short time. We're making 20 more. Where are we doing these? Where it is needed most.
IRREGULARITY OF MARKETPLACES
The issue of the irregularity of the markets in Istanbul is important. Of course, it also has an economic basis. So this city is not in the place it deserves. When we talk about today's livelihood figures, today's cost figures, today's income figures, this city should be 3-4 times above its current level. Because this city is the main engine, the main center, the main locomotive that grows and develops the country in every sense. When the income level in this city improves, then such market searches will decrease. This is a natural solution. And of course, we also have markets that are against urbanism, posing some threats, and unfortunately unsuitable for many aspects, from fires to parking lots and so on. But the number is so great. And it has been given such an exaggerated opportunity and a sector has been created there that there is no immediate solution to it. But every city, every district is in an intense work. It's sure to take time. But now we have many districts where we started and produced indoor markets. We know that this is not enough, and that it will not be enough. The economy of this city will really solve this. As soon as the economic income environment rises in this city, the need for such market environments will inevitably decrease and the style of tradesmen will change. Craftsmen will also try to produce business and trade in other fields.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY
Change does not happen by choosing one person. Change in Turkey is actually possible with a mental change. And every young friend of mine has to think about his own future. I am not saying, 'Go be a politician, become a member of parties'. But it is not healthy, rational, finding solutions to needs, not competing with each other, nor confusing or arguing with each other. Everyone is the same to me. In this respect, it is a process that finds solutions to the problems of this city, this country, listens to its youth, listens to children, and puts forward healthy projects for their future in economy, education, industry, production, technology, agriculture, in every aspect you can think of, and at the same time 'If I work, I will get my right. You should definitely support the understanding that prioritizes the sense of justice and presents an equal system to everyone, not over the concepts of manliness, nepotism, familiarity, etc. Of course, we will talk about these more in time, when the political process matures and the election calendar develops, we will talk more. We will tell, and you will listen to us. You will listen to others. But I think that most young people should be involved in this struggle in terms of making the right decision and taking an active role. The other thing is easy. The right person is preferred and chosen. But it is imperative that you be active and contribute to this great transformation.
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